21 January 2023 , 16:16
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Steven Gerrard's criticism of Chelsea's transfer policy backfired after Mykhaylo Mudryk produced a superb debut against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.
The Blues signed the Ukraine international, 22, from Shakhtar Donetsk in an £89million deal earlier this month - beating Arsenal to his signature. He is the latest big money signing by Chelsea chair Todd Boehly since the American's takeover of the club last summer.
Gerrard questioned Chelsea's scattergun approach ahead of the Liverpool game and suggested Potter was not taking responsibility for it. Yet Gerrard's opinion changed following Mudryk's sensational display during the second half, as the game finished goalless.
Mudryk almost broke the deadlock just after the hour mark by dancing around Liverpool's defence and hitting the side-netting. Moments later, his rapid pace drew a foul from James Milner and Jurgen Klopp was forced to sub the veteran after his booking.
Speaking before the game, Gerrard said: "Listening to Graham Potter’s interviews there’s little nuggets in the interview that he’s not taking responsibility for every signing here. He’s saying it’s more a collective in terms of the decision-making here.
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"I think you’ve got an owner that’s in a rush for success, you’ve got a manager that wants a bit more patience and to build something special here - I think he’s more than capable - but for me the concerning thing is that they seem to be reacting off recent results.
Mykhaylo Mudryk impressed on his Chelsea debut (Getty Images)What did you make of Mykhaylo Mudryk's Chelsea debut? Let us know in the comments below!
"You look at January alone they’ve broke their record again - what is it close to £150 million? When is it going to stop? So are they going to have a positive six months now until the end of the season or are they going to go and spend another £200 million?
"I think there needs to be a bit of patience, there needs to be a bit of calm, relax, and let the manager and the coaching staff build something special. The way to do that is on the training pitch with time, not necessarily adding bodies and expensive signings into the mix."
But after the game, Gerrard said: "I would be really excited about the new kid, Mudryk, if I was a Chelsea fan going away, I thought that was a strong cameo, and if he’s not fit and there’s more to come in that department then I know Chelsea fans will be really excited.
"He looks the real deal, some of his clips today were outstanding. He reminded me a little bit of Arjen Robben here today, his footwork, how quick he is, how he manipulates the ball, I would be very excited if I was Chelsea."
Gerrard's fellow pundits Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole were also impressed by Mudryk's debut. Ferdinand praised his "explosive pace" and "soft feet", while Cole said: "What I liked about him today was the way he threatened Liverpool.
"When you can do things like that in the final third, forget about systems and tactics. You’ve got a player like that who can run away from someone... it lifts the crowd, it’s a reason to be positive. His 35-minute cameo was really exciting."